Bird-plant frugivory networks in two secondary Araucaria forests in southern Brazil
4 affiliations
- 1Dirección de Investigación en Diversidad Biológica Terrestre Amazónica (DBIO), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (IIAP), Iquitos, Loreto, Perú
- 2Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución & IEGEBA-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellón II Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 3Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 4Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Abstract
The properties of mutualistic networks may vary depending on the habitat structure in which partners interact. In this research, we evaluated two plant-bird frugivorous networks from the South Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Araucaria Forest) and tested how different past disturbance history and present successional stage can influence the structure of these networks. We sampled six secondary forest sites within a protected area in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil—three in early succession following clear-cutting (CC), and three in late succession following selective logging (SL), all with similar disturbance timing in the past. Bird feces were collected from individuals captured with mist nets to identify plant–bird interaction events. We constructed bipartite networks from quantitative matrices and compared network- and species-level descriptors across habitats. We identified 19 bird species interacting with 11 plant species in the CC network, and 13 bird species with 10 plant species in the SL network. Myrsine lorentziana, an important pioneer species for the local forest ecosystems, was a key species in both networks, concentrating the highest number of bird interactions. Both networks were more specialized and modular than expected by chance but did not exhibit significant nestedness. Specialization was generally low, with no significant difference between networks. Modularity was higher in the CC network. On average, plants were more specialized than birds in both networks. Bird abundance did not correlate with species-level specialization, but it did correlate with the number of interactions in the SL network. The same two species, Myrsine lorentziana (plant) and Turdus albicollis (bird), were central in both networks. Additionally, migratory birds were part of the core group of interacting species. Our results showed that plant-bird mutualistic networks of frugivory were structured according to forest type, differing in modularity, composition, and species centrality. Furthermore, the persistence of Myrsine lorentziana and Turdidae as central nodes of interaction throughout successional stages suggests their key role in stability and connectivity in the disturbed remnants of the Araucaria Forest.
Related
- Group size and composition of brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba) in three fragments of Araucaria Pine Forest in southern Brazil
- Invasive Strawberry Guava weakens avian frugivory in native forests of an oceanic island
- Overexploitation risks disproportionate vertebrate downsizing and declines in potential dispersal distances in frugivory networks
- Conservation value of secondary and plantation forests for fruit-feeding butterflies in northern Vietnam
- Restoration pathways reshape forest structure and multifunctionality in subtropical plantations and secondary forests
BibTeX
@article{vasquezarevalo2026birdplant,
title = {{Bird-plant frugivory networks in two secondary Araucaria forests in southern Brazil}},
author = {Francisco A. Vásquez-Arévalo and Pamela E. Malmoria and Carla S. Fontana and Pedro Maria Abreu Ferreira},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357566},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357566},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Bird-plant frugivory networks in two secondary Araucaria forests in southern Brazil
AU - Francisco A. Vásquez-Arévalo
AU - Pamela E. Malmoria
AU - Carla S. Fontana
AU - Pedro Maria Abreu Ferreira
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357566
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357566
AB - The properties of mutualistic networks may vary depending on the habitat structure in which partners interact. In this research, we evaluated two plant-bird frugivorous networks from the South Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Araucaria Forest) and tested how different past disturbance history and present successional stage can influence the structure of these networks. We sampled six secondary forest sites within a protected area in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil—three in early succession following clear-cutting (CC), and three in late succession following selective logging (SL), all with similar disturbance timing in the past. Bird feces were collected from individuals captured with mist nets to identify plant–bird interaction events. We constructed bipartite networks from quantitative matrices and compared network- and species-level descriptors across habitats. We identified 19 bird species interacting with 11 plant species in the CC network, and 13 bird species with 10 plant species in the SL network. Myrsine lorentziana, an important pioneer species for the local forest ecosystems, was a key species in both networks, concentrating the highest number of bird interactions. Both networks were more specialized and modular than expected by chance but did not exhibit significant nestedness. Specialization was generally low, with no significant difference between networks. Modularity was higher in the CC network. On average, plants were more specialized than birds in both networks. Bird abundance did not correlate with species-level specialization, but it did correlate with the number of interactions in the SL network. The same two species, Myrsine lorentziana (plant) and Turdus albicollis (bird), were central in both networks. Additionally, migratory birds were part of the core group of interacting species. Our results showed that plant-bird mutualistic networks of frugivory were structured according to forest type, differing in modularity, composition, and species centrality. Furthermore, the persistence of Myrsine lorentziana and Turdidae as central nodes of interaction throughout successional stages suggests their key role in stability and connectivity in the disturbed remnants of the Araucaria Forest.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -